Jazzie B | |
|---|---|
 Jazzie B with Soul II Soul in Brockwell Park | |
| Born | Trevor Beresford Romeo 26 January 1963 |
| Other names | The Funki Dred |
| Occupations | |
| Musical career | |
| Website | jazzieb |
Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE (born 26 January 1963), [1] better known as Jazzie B, is a British DJ and music producer. He is the founder of Soul II Soul.
Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of Antiguan descent [2] in Hornsey, London, the ninth of ten children, several of whom began running sound systems in the 1960s and 1970s. At age 18, Jazzie was working for cockney pop skiffle legend Tommy Steele, as a tape operator. He had his first gig in 1977 working with friends under the Rastafari name Jah Rico. He changed their working name to Soul II Soul in 1982. Soul II Soul was originally an umbrella name for several of his projects - the sound system, a clothing line and Camden record shop, a record imprint, as well as the group itself. [3]
From 1985 to 1989, Jazzie and Soul II Soul would hold what would be regarded as a legendary night at the Africa Centre in Covent Garden. The Soul II Soul track "Fairplay" was recorded there just before the group started to find wider success. [3] The nights at the Africa Centre would be celebrated in the 2003 compilation "Soul II Soul At The Africa Centre".
In March 1991 he launched the label Funki Dreds and signed the singers Lady Levi and Kofi to the label. [4] [5]
At this time, he would also host a show on then pirate radio station Kiss FM, which would continue through its legal licence and until 1997. From 2009 to 2012, Jazzie B hosted the "Back 2 Life" radio show on BBC London 94.9, [6] which he then brought to Mi-Soul since 2014. [7]
Jazzie has produced and remixed tracks for the likes of Incognito, Maxi Priest, James Brown, Kym Mazelle, Cheryl Lynn, Teena Marie, Johnny Gill, Ziggy Marley, Nas, Destiny's Child, and his wife Efua Baker. [8] [9]
He is a founding director of the Featured Artists Coalition. [10]
In 2002, he was listed first in the Business category of the "100 Great Black Britons" list. [11]
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Elizabeth II in the 2008 New Year Honours. [12] [13]
In May 2008, he was awarded the first Inspiration award at the Ivor Novello Awards, for being "a pioneer" and "the man who gave black British music a soul of its own". [14]
On 7 February 2024 at the 26th annual Mobo Awards, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award after more than 40 years in the music business. On accepting the award, he cited those who went before from the Windrush generation. [15]
He is married to recording artist and fitness expert Efua Baker, and they are parents to two children, Mahlon Romeo who plays professional football for Cardiff City, [16] and actress Jessye Romeo. [17]
Ivor Novello was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century.
Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven "Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four "Back to Life". They have won two Grammy Awards, and have been nominated for five Brit Awards—twice for Best British Group.
The MOBO Awards are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in "music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and African music.
Craig Armstrong, is a Scottish composer of modern orchestral music, electronica and film scores. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1981, and has since written music for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the London Sinfonietta.
Caron Melina Wheeler is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in London, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the founding members of Brown Sugar. She was also one of the founding members of the female backing vocalist group Afrodiziak. She officially rose to fame in the late 1980s as lead singer of R&B group Soul II Soul. Managed by her bandmate, Jazzie B, the group became one of the London's best-selling groups in the 1990s. Their debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989), which established them as a global success worldwide, earned two Grammy Awards and featured the UK and Billboard number-one singles "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life ".
Nitin Sawhney is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics, and spirituality. Sawhney is also active in the promotion of arts and cultural matters, is chair of the PRS Foundation, sits on the board of trustees of theatre company Complicité, and is a patron of numerous film festivals, venues, and educational institutions. In 2021 he was an ambassador for the Royal Albert Hall.
John Harle is an English saxophonist, composer, educator and record producer. He is an Ivor Novello Award winner and has been the recipient of two Royal Television Society awards.
Efua Baker is a British celebrity fitness expert and trainer who also had a music career in the 1990s.
Fraser Thorneycroft-Smith, known professionally as Fraser T. Smith, is an English record producer, songwriter and musician. Some of the singles he collaborated on include Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain", James Morrison's "Broken Strings", Tinchy Stryder's "Number 1" and Taio Cruz's "Break Your Heart". In 2016, Smith teamed up with Stormzy to produce his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer, which won Best Album at the 2018 Brit Awards. Earlier that year he produced seven tracks on Kano's Made in the Manor album and co-produced the debut EP from South London rapper Dave. Smith has also worked with Sam Smith.
Simbiatu "Simbi" Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, better known by her stage name Little Simz, is a British rapper, singer and actress. She rose to prominence with the independent release of her first three albums: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (2015), Stillness in Wonderland (2016) and Grey Area (2019), the last of which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the awards for Best Album at both the Ivor Novello Awards and the NME Awards.
Simon Katz is an English songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work with the band Jamiroquai from 1995 to 2000. Katz was a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo Or Group With Vocal for Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" in 1997, and the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection with Jamiroquai in 1999.
Laura Mvula is a British singer. A native of Birmingham, England, Mvula has gained experience as a young member or leader of a cappella, jazz/neo-soul and gospel groups and choirs. She was classically trained. In 2012, she signed with RCA Records and released an extended play, She, to critical acclaim.
Mahlon Beresford Baker Romeo is an Antiguan professional footballer who plays for EFL Championship club Cardiff City. Romeo, who plays as a defender, also features for the Antigua and Barbuda national football team.
Kwadwo Adu Genfi Amponsah, known professionally as Kojey Radical, is a British musician, creative director and mixed media visual artist. His style has been described as a mix of grime hip hop, alternative rap, and spoken word. Since 2018, he has received six nominations at the MOBO Awards, including Best Newcomer. He also performed at the 2020 and 2022 MOBO ceremonies.
Sault is a British music collective that make a mixture of R&B, urban contemporary gospel, house and disco. The project is helmed by songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Inflo, and includes vocalists Cleo Sol, Kid Sister, and Chronixx, as well as instrumentalists Kadeem Clarke, and Jack Peñate. The group frequently foregrounds Black-centric issues.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
